Paranoid about a foxtail burrowing into Kona's organs, I turned off my emotions and marched Kona into the vet's office this morning. The vet was surprised to see us and asked if Kona had been sneezing again.
I told him she hadn't, but was worried about something being stuck, causing infection, making its way to her brain, etc. He kindly let me know that I had probably misunderstood him yesterday and that (although he was willing to go ahead with the procedure) he wasn't concerned unless the sneezing started again. I guess his 95% rate had to do with dogs showing persistent symptoms.
Kona's vet is great, but he sticks with strict facts and options when we see him. It's never advise or recommendations (smart professionally, I suppose). I think this time around I got confused with his options/possibilities list. Mixed with the stomach turning effect that the vet has on me, I couldn't read through the lines that Kona's probably fine. So the course of action: keep an eye on her...
So I feel better, and will feel really better after a few weeks have past without any funny snout business.
Thanks for the well wishes! I'm off for a catnap to make up for last night's worried sleep. Kona is keeping a suspicious eye on me from behind the coffee table. I tried to tell her we weren't going back to the vets. Maybe a nice frozen kong will help her to believe me.
Thursday, May 6, 2010
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
Help?
Kona snorted something up her nose yesterday. Around here, the bad culprit is a foxtail. I went into the vet to ask if he thought she should be put under to investigate. (He's the type of vet who doesn't directly tell you what he thinks you should do.) His response was that 95% of the time that he looks for nasal foxtails, he finds one.
He couldn't do the procedure this afternoon, so I can go back in the morning. I'm hesitant because after Kona's initial violent sneezing (yesterday morning) and some off and on snorts later in the day, she hasn't had any symptoms. I hear that that doesn't mean the foxtail is gone. I also hear that it is possible for the dog to sneeze the sticker out.
I know it's better to be safe than sorry, but I also don't take anesthesia lightly. This also is a lengthy procedure, so she'll have to be out for awhile.
Any words of advice (get your butt back to the vet tomorrow?) would be appreciated. Please send us good mojo, even a routine vet visit is stomach turning for both me and Kona.
He couldn't do the procedure this afternoon, so I can go back in the morning. I'm hesitant because after Kona's initial violent sneezing (yesterday morning) and some off and on snorts later in the day, she hasn't had any symptoms. I hear that that doesn't mean the foxtail is gone. I also hear that it is possible for the dog to sneeze the sticker out.
I know it's better to be safe than sorry, but I also don't take anesthesia lightly. This also is a lengthy procedure, so she'll have to be out for awhile.
Any words of advice (get your butt back to the vet tomorrow?) would be appreciated. Please send us good mojo, even a routine vet visit is stomach turning for both me and Kona.
Tuesday, May 4, 2010
Lots of Sniff Work
With another nose work class later in the day, we kept our morning romp short. I kept an eye on Queen Pouncer to avoid another repeat of our weekend's adventure. Kona still made off with some sneak exploring.
Nose Class
Kona's Sunday class went better than I expected. We were out in the parking lot again for more vehicle searches. I hadn't practiced at all with Kona and didn't know if she would remember anything from the previous week or if we'd be starting from scratch.
She needed help a few times when she got nervous and forgot what she was doing, but a few taps on the van and guiding her with the leash helped her to reengage her nose. She found the odor much more quickly and seemed to know that she was there to work, unlike last week when she was pretty lost.
She whined a couple of times and yanked me back to the car after every turn, but she still manged to work...in a parking lot!
During today's mixed class, the dogs learned how to alert when they found the odor. It's not a hard skill for the dogs to learn, but I won't have Kona practice it anymore for quite some time. It's still more important for her to want to find the odor at this point. We'll worry about the fancy stuff later.
It was fun to watch the more advanced dogs practice their alerts. One young sibe gets so excited that she play bows. She's learning a more formal sit, but I think it would be fun to reinforce the bow.
The highlight for me today was taking Kona across the parking lot where three or four people from one of the neighboring businesses were sitting outside. She saw them and they made her nervous, but she didn't panic. Six months ago, that probably would have sent her over the top.
She also did one exterior search. During her turn, a man in a shop yard came into view through the fence where Kona searched. Kona stopped to take note of him, but I didn't notice her stress levels rise. If I were to show you a video of Kona during class I'm sure everyone would say, "That's one anxious dog." But the fact that Kona can engage her nose, or willingly approach a classmate, makes me one proud Kona mom.
Nose Class
Kona's Sunday class went better than I expected. We were out in the parking lot again for more vehicle searches. I hadn't practiced at all with Kona and didn't know if she would remember anything from the previous week or if we'd be starting from scratch.
She needed help a few times when she got nervous and forgot what she was doing, but a few taps on the van and guiding her with the leash helped her to reengage her nose. She found the odor much more quickly and seemed to know that she was there to work, unlike last week when she was pretty lost.
She whined a couple of times and yanked me back to the car after every turn, but she still manged to work...in a parking lot!
During today's mixed class, the dogs learned how to alert when they found the odor. It's not a hard skill for the dogs to learn, but I won't have Kona practice it anymore for quite some time. It's still more important for her to want to find the odor at this point. We'll worry about the fancy stuff later.
It was fun to watch the more advanced dogs practice their alerts. One young sibe gets so excited that she play bows. She's learning a more formal sit, but I think it would be fun to reinforce the bow.
The highlight for me today was taking Kona across the parking lot where three or four people from one of the neighboring businesses were sitting outside. She saw them and they made her nervous, but she didn't panic. Six months ago, that probably would have sent her over the top.
She also did one exterior search. During her turn, a man in a shop yard came into view through the fence where Kona searched. Kona stopped to take note of him, but I didn't notice her stress levels rise. If I were to show you a video of Kona during class I'm sure everyone would say, "That's one anxious dog." But the fact that Kona can engage her nose, or willingly approach a classmate, makes me one proud Kona mom.
Sunday, May 2, 2010
The Pouncer Succeeds?
With afternoon temperatures creeping higher every week, I welcomed the veiled sun this morning as a rest from the onslaught of summer. 
With nose classes planned for the afternoon, I decided to keep our morning short. Kona and I hiked only part of our ridge. I put Kona on her long line to let her get a bit more exercise, despite cutting our trail time.
Following tips from fellow get-outside-and-play-hard-with-dog blogger, KB, I practiced a couple recalls with Kona right at the beginning of our hike. Kona does well with recalls on her long line with minimum distractions, but I usually avoid recalling her at the beginning of our runs because she's always more anxious when we first arrive at a trail.
I'm happy to report that despite some anxiety, Kona came running for her recalls this morning.
She did so well that I promised to let her run wild for the rest of the morning. And run wild she did.
We quickly reached our turn around point and headed back. I stopped to take a picture of my most photogenic hillside. I noticed the slope's colors looked muted compared to the crisp greens from only a few weeks ago.
As we hiked one of the only flat spots on the trail, Kona stopped and peered over the ridge. I saw it coming. She had that gleam in her eye that means one thing. Pounce. Kona launched up and over the ridge.
Pouncing happens quite often with Kona, so I usually just smile and shake my head. This time, I jumped when I heard Kona land, followed by a shriek that sounded half cat, half seagull. Oh no. Kona really pounced something.
Just as I shouted, "No!" I saw Kona's head leap into the air a second time. Another cat-bird scream. I quickly pulled Kona back onto the trail. I apprehensively peered over the ridge to see what had made the terrible cry and hope that Kona hadn't caused any damage. Nothing. I couldn't find a thing.
As we moved along towards the car, Kona kept trying to turn around and head back to her pounce-victim. Needless to say, we marched on.
I don't think Kona caused serious harm, but my question remains. Any ideas on what L.A. animal shrieks like a cat-seagull when pounced by a Kona dog?
With nose classes planned for the afternoon, I decided to keep our morning short. Kona and I hiked only part of our ridge. I put Kona on her long line to let her get a bit more exercise, despite cutting our trail time.
Following tips from fellow get-outside-and-play-hard-with-dog blogger, KB, I practiced a couple recalls with Kona right at the beginning of our hike. Kona does well with recalls on her long line with minimum distractions, but I usually avoid recalling her at the beginning of our runs because she's always more anxious when we first arrive at a trail.
I'm happy to report that despite some anxiety, Kona came running for her recalls this morning.
She did so well that I promised to let her run wild for the rest of the morning. And run wild she did.
We quickly reached our turn around point and headed back. I stopped to take a picture of my most photogenic hillside. I noticed the slope's colors looked muted compared to the crisp greens from only a few weeks ago.
As we hiked one of the only flat spots on the trail, Kona stopped and peered over the ridge. I saw it coming. She had that gleam in her eye that means one thing. Pounce. Kona launched up and over the ridge.
Pouncing happens quite often with Kona, so I usually just smile and shake my head. This time, I jumped when I heard Kona land, followed by a shriek that sounded half cat, half seagull. Oh no. Kona really pounced something.
Just as I shouted, "No!" I saw Kona's head leap into the air a second time. Another cat-bird scream. I quickly pulled Kona back onto the trail. I apprehensively peered over the ridge to see what had made the terrible cry and hope that Kona hadn't caused any damage. Nothing. I couldn't find a thing.
As we moved along towards the car, Kona kept trying to turn around and head back to her pounce-victim. Needless to say, we marched on.
I don't think Kona caused serious harm, but my question remains. Any ideas on what L.A. animal shrieks like a cat-seagull when pounced by a Kona dog?
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